


one world away

by ichinoseharu (rinsousukes)



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Make-outs, figuring it out, or maybe not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-06-10
Packaged: 2018-02-04 03:38:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1764321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinsousukes/pseuds/ichinoseharu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He vaguely registers  fingers coming up to brush sweat-slick strands of hair away from where they’re plastered to his cheeks, but his gaze never leaves Sousuke’s.</p>
            </blockquote>





	one world away

Rin isn’t exactly sure how he ended up here, panting hard, on his hands and knees on the parquet floor of Sousuke’s dorm room. He can feel droplets of sweat making their way down his face only to drip off the end of his nose. He hadn’t signed up for this. He really hadn't.

“Suck it up, Matsuoka! That’s one hundred and twenty. Thirty more to go.”

When he turns his head sluggishly to the right, Sousuke is leveling a stern look at him, complete with the moody eyebrows and characteristic downturned mouth. Rin is too winded to reply so he just makes a pitiful strangled noise at the back of his throat and slumps to the floor.

How Sousuke had managed to keep track of Rin’s push-up count along with his own, while doing the exercises himself, Rin would never know. Sousuke just knew _everything_ , and Rin was content enough with that explanation to not linger on it any longer.

He’s too wiped out to even contemplate the blow to his ego. He’ll worry about that later. Right now, he just needs to feel the blissfully cool floor against his flushed cheek as he let the tension seep out of his limbs.

Beside him, Sousuke has evidently given up on trying to discipline Rin. He’s murmuring “hundred and forty five, hundred and forty six” under his breath as his arms work to lift his body up and down, up and down. His push-up form is perfect. Of course it would be, Rin thinks to himself a little bitterly, and then feels a little juvenile for even thinking that way.

Sousuke’s body is a perfectly straight plane all the way from his head to his toes. Rin gingerly shifts so that he’s lying on his side, leaning his elbow on the floor for leverage and resting his head on his upturned palm.

His body is huge and tightly corded with muscle. There are muscles in places Rin didn’t even know was possible to have muscles in. His big size doesn’t pose as any sort of hindrance to his workout, as one might have expected it to. In fact, Sousuke doesn’t even look too phased, even after he counts “hundred and fifty five” and keeps going. Oh, now he was just showing off, that bastard.

Rin had been the one who had suggested a little bit of extra work out before bedtime. He’d been feeling particularly rejuvenated and a little hyper even after joint practice had ended at six and he’d considered asking Sousuke to join him and the Iwatobi boys for a trip to the little Ramen shop two streets away from the campus. They served surprisingly delicious bowls of Tonkotsu Ramen there.

Makoto had begged off almost immediately, explaining sheepishly that it was his turn tonight to help with dinner and that Ren and Ran were expecting him back soon. And surprisingly, Nagisa, who had always been for after-school outings, had also smothered an uncharacteristic yawn behind the back of his hand and turned down Rin’s offer a little tiredly.

It must have been the five or six impromptu races he’d had with Nitori that afternoon Or had it been more? Rin had lost count by the fifth time Nagisa had talked “Ai-chan” into “just one more” lap.

In any case, Rei hadn’t looked like he was too thrilled about having to spend some alone time with Rin without Nagisa as a buffer and Rin had felt half-disappointed and half-relieved about that.

Haru had looked like he was contemplating joining Rin, but then Sousuke had stepped up behind Rin and clapped a hand around the curve of his shoulder. Haru’s mouth had turned down a little at the sides in displeasure (Rin had learned to pick up on even the most minute of facial expressions and  when it came to Haru, since the idiot didn’t seem to be capable of expressing himself like a normal human being) and he’d wheeled around and muttered a “See you on Friday, Rin” before jogging a little to catch up with Makoto who had left the locker rooms just a minute or two ago.  

Rin had been a little disappointed and he'd puzzled over that slight moment of indecision and discontent that Haru had let show, and he still is a little befuddled, if he’s being honest. Trying to decipher Haru’s sometimes erratic actions usually lead down a complicated and unfruitful path though, so he had nipped the thought in the bud.

Since he had had a lot of energy to spare, Rin had suggested moving to Sousuke’s room to do a few sets of isometrics to blow off some steam before they cleaned up and started on their homework. 

Sousuke had a twin room, but no roommate. There had been an even number of students staying in the halls and Sousuke’s late transfer into Samezuka had meant that he’d been essentially given his own space. Rin still needled him about it occasionally, but his heart wasn’t really in it.

No matter how pissed off he got every time he found the toothpaste squeezed right in the middle or track shoes haphazardly thrown across the floor, he’d grown too used to Nitori and his irritating habits (he felt almost fond of him, not that he’d ever admit it) to even consider asking for a space of his own.

Sousuke finally breathes out “hundred and sixty five” and then gracefully lowers himself to the floor. So unlike Rin’s clumsy slump from before. His wild hair was matted with sweat and drooped endearingly into his left eye. How did he even have breath in him to keep counting ? Rin’s arms still feel like jelly and he regrets ever bringing up the extra practice.

“Ready for the crunches round?”

It’s barely been ten seconds since Sousuke had finished off his one hundred and sixty five push ups. What was he, the fucking terminator?

Rin growls a little in annoyance and lifts his hand to whack Sousuke upside the head, but Sousuke catches his wrist mid-air and grins a little.

“Just kidding. I’m beat.” He brings Rin’s wrist to the ground gently, and then lets go.

Rin is a little surprised despite himself. When Sousuke trains, he trains with the absolute goal of improving his fly time. And he doesn’t kid around when it comes to training. RIn had learned that the first time he’d watched Sousuke work out in the Samezuka gym. He’d stayed nearly a whole hour longer than their teammates and he’d worked twice as hard, Rin was sure of it. He was no slacker himself, so he had known just how seriously Sousuke took his training.

Moreover, Sousuke doesn’t look very “beat” at all. Only a thin sheen of sweat on his shirtless upper body is evidence of his rather strenuous workout. They’d done sets of squats and lunges right before the push ups too. His skin glows bronze in the yellowish light of the room and the muscles in his arm are still twitching a little, involuntarily.

Mesmerized, Rin reaches out and smooths a hand over the lightly trembling contours of his triceps. His skin is slippery with sweat and hot from exertion. Just _when_ he had moved so close to Sousuke, he can’t remember. But Sousuke is resting on his side now and he brings his palm to rest right over the back Rin’s hand. It’d be a stretch to call Rin a small guy, but his hand is completely dwarfed by Sousuke’s. He absently wonders if the guy is proportional everywhere, but Sousuke’s face is getting closer and closer to his and he loses his train of thought.

His eyes shine a peculiar shade of blue in the light and they’re intense. Intense and all-consuming and Rin can’t move a muscle. He vaguely registers fingers coming up to brush sweat-slick strands of hair away from where they’re plastered to his cheeks, but his gaze never leaves Sousuke’s.

“Rin..”

Sousuke’s mouth is inches away from his own and he feels his damp, pocket-sweat flavoured breath on his upper lip. He’s so close. Just a little bit more and..

Rin had always wondered what it would be like to have Sousuke’s complete attention, to have those strangely magnetizing eyes focused on him. He knew now, and he never wanted to lose it. He was intense in everything he did and beautiful and Rin had no idea how to act around him after he’d barreled back into Rin’s life and made a space for himself there as if it was where he belonged.

His gaze had been constantly drawn to the obvious contour of his chest in the Samezuka polo and the way the muscles in his solid thighs shifted underneath his legskins as he prepared to dive into the pool. He’d even find himself staring too long at the fluffy black of his hair during chemistry lessons and he'd had to snap himself out of his daze many a time.

Rin had thought that he’d been the only one looking, but now, Sousuke’s gaze is so fond and Rin can’t believe it. Sousuke’s eyes have darkened a little, and when he moves to slot his mouth against Rin’s, Rin is ready.

So warm, he thinks to himself. His lips move smoothly against Rin’s own and he clearly knows what he’s doing. Rin spares a jealous thought as to whom Sousuke had kissed before this, but that thought leaves as soon as it comes when Sousuke’s hands push at Rin’s shoulders until he lies flat on his back. Rin leans forward subconsciously to follow Sousuke’s lips as they part from his and then flushes when he sees Sousuke’s  smile: half-pleased and half-hungry.

Sousuke moves to brace himself above him with his forearms on either side of Rin’s head. His slick skin slides over Rin’s own at whichever points they touch and Rin's skin burns hot with desire. His knees nudge Rin’s thighs apart and his legs nestle between Rin’s own. Then he brings his torso down right on top of Rin’s and lets some of his weight rest on him and _oh._

He can feel the solid, ungiving plane of Sousuke’s chest over his own and the sharp points of his hipbones where they’re pressing into Rin’s inner thighs and he _wants_. He wants so much.

Sousuke leans down to take Rin’s mouth again and this time, he gives no warning before his tongue slips into Rin’s mouth and laves at his own. Everything is hot and slick and Rin’s usually loose track pants feel too tight. He feels completely overcome by Sousuke’s intensity and this is not how he imagined his first kiss with Sousuke to be (he'd always thought that he would be the one to pin Sousuke against the lockers after practice and just kiss him breathless). _Not_ that he’d pondered on that a lot.

When Sousuke’s hot mouth trails down his jaw, he scrunches his eyes in pleasure and digs the tips of his fingers into Sousuke’s hip. Sousuke nips a little playfully at his neck in response and laves a hot, wet path down to his collarbones.

Rin is surprised though, when he gently, so gently, kisses his way up his neck again and this time, when he moves his lips over Rin’s, it’s tender and sweet, like it had been with the couples in the lifetime movies that Rin had used to sneak into his Sydney dorm room to watch.

For a moment there, he’d thought that this was going to an entirely different place and though his mind was fuzzy with desire, he had felt a little apprehensive. He has only a vague idea about what to do next, since he he'd been far too focused on his swimming to go gone beyond a few chaste kisses with a few girls in clubs back in Australia and _maybe_ a guy in the alley right behind the establishment.

Their lips separate with a slick sound and Sousuke moves immediately to rest his face in the crook of Rin’s neck and shoulder. His cheeks are strangely warm against Rin’s shoulders.

“Sousuke. Are you blushing, you dumbass?”

Rin struggles with Sousuke a little to lift his head up as he resists. The little dash of pink on his cheeks  he sees when he finally manages to tip his head up makes Rin burst into fits of laughter, but his chest feels light and airy and he’s so completely overcome with _like_ (he wouldn’t consider any other possibility) for his loser of a best friend.

“Rin. You should’ve heard the way you were whimpering under me just a minute ago.”

He sounds as composed and sure of himself as ever despite his temporary slip-up and Rin’s cheeks flush again, but his belly tightens with desire and Sousuke must have noticed something, because he smirks a little and _oh_ Rin doesn't know if he wants to hit him or drag him closer and kiss him all over again.

It's a feeling he's resigned himself to experiencing whenever he's around Sousuke

But Rin’s sure now that he’s not the only one out of his element here and he feels a little comforted by it and a little triumphant too, that he'd gotten one over his best friend (Sousuke and him would always be rivals first and foremost, after all). Besides, this was the same fucking guy he’d chased down and dumped his chocolate smoothie on five years ago and the same guy who’d stood alongside Rin by the pool, wearing his swim trunks on top of his head, trying to catch the attention of the cute, pig-tailed girls who’d come in every week for swimming lessons.

He remembers the rush of swimming along side him, the adrenaline flowing through his veins as they fought to gain an inch on each other. The memories overlap with the times that he and Sousuke are spending together in Samezuka now and Rin is somehow perfectly sure that Sousuke is going to be in his life for a long, long time.

When Sousuke flops onto his back beside Rin, Rin moves to sling his arm around his shoulder as best as he can in this awkward position. They lie there staring at the white of the ceiling for a long time and Rin feels like nothing really has changed, but everything is different.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I'm gonna have to delete all these and start afresh when Sousuke's character is canonically fleshed out in July. But till then, whoop de doo, I just can't seem to stop. 
> 
> Please do point out any errors/bad writing to me! I didn't read it through once I wrote, bc it's a little embarrassing.


End file.
